


SV: Big Brother is Watching

by fhsa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-10
Updated: 2006-02-10
Packaged: 2019-02-05 17:27:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12798963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fhsa_archivist/pseuds/fhsa_archivist
Summary: see Author's note





	1. Chapter 1  Day One

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Haven, the archivist: This story was originally archived at [Fandom Haven Story Archive (FHSA)](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_Haven_Story_Archive), was scheduled to shut down at the end of 2016. To preserve the archive, I began working with the OTW to transfer the stories to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. If you are this creator and the work hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Fandom Haven Story Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/fhsa/profile).

  
Author's notes: Lex grabbed Clark's arm as the decision hit him. He lowered his voice so that no one could overhear. "Sleep with me."  


* * *

Lex stood stiffly in the middle of the steps. He wasn't comfortable being surrounded by this many people, particularly people he didn't know. No, that wasn't true. If he knew these people, he would be decidedly more uncomfortable, so maybe it was a blessing. Regardless, here he was, for reasons unknown, standing on the steps in front of a building that looked smaller than his penthouse waiting to participate in a reality television show.

 

Things couldn't get much worse.

 

He avoided eye contact with the other participants, vowing to develop a strategy as soon as he knew what the hell was going on here. A disembodied voice floated out of hidden speakers, and the small group quickly grew silent.

 

"Houseguests, welcome to Big Brother 78. I'm Lois Lane." Lex joined the murmurs of Hello, Lois before a hush overcame the small crowd once more. "There are eight of you on these steps. You will be living together in this house, without contact with the outside world. Now remember, you should expect the unexpected." Lois paused dramatically. "Not all of you are here. Those of you standing on these step will have the first choice of rooms. There are three bedrooms; you will enter the house in groups of three and each of you will choose one room. This will be your bedroom for the next three months." That meant he'd be sharing the room with at least one other person. Lex immediately tried to recall all the lessons he'd learned from his anger management sessions he'd incurred during those long months dating Helen Bryce. "Will Lex, Rachel, and Chloe please enter the house and choose your rooms."

 

Lex picked up his duffle and strode purposely inside the door. He was joined by an older redheaded woman who had a slightly crazy glint in her eye, and a blonde (probably not a natural blonde) young woman who bounced instead of walked. Being the gentleman that he was, Lex allowed Rachel and Chloe, whichever one was which, to choose their rooms first, and took the last room by default.

 

It was a much smaller room than Lex was used to, but he figured he could handle it for the sake of the game. Anything to prove to his father that he knew how to manipulate and control people.

 

The room had two double beds. Eyeing them warily, Lex put his duffle on the one closest to the window. Both beds had garish green-and-blue plaid comforters that matched the equally garish walls. While waiting for whomever would join him in this room, Lex found the dresser and started putting away his clothes. He soon heard another commotion outside, and prepared to meet his roommate.

 

Lex was not often rendered speechless, but the young man who entered the room was more beautiful than any he had ever met. Chiseled cheekbones, pouty lips, piercing hazel eyes, shaggy ebony hair; the boy could've been a model. Lex was still staring at those lips when he realized the boy was speaking to him.

 

"Hi, I'm Clark." Lex instinctively reached out for the proffered hand, suddenly realizing how much taller this young man - Clark - was. Lex cleared his throat.

 

"Luthor." At Clark's eyebrow raise, Lex wondered if he recognized the name, then realized he was still clutching Clark's hand. He let go with a mental note not to execute any more Bond, James Bond introductions. "Lex Luthor."

 

"Cool. Nice to meet you, Lex." Clark looked suspiciously at the two double beds, apparently torn between appearing homophobic and having to share a bed with another man. After several glances from one bed to the other, his eyes darting back and forth as though he were observing a tennis match, Clark put his duffle on the other bed, smiling brightly as he put his clothes away. "So, do you think we'll get some girls in here?"

 

Lex shrugged easily, trying to come up with a witty retort when Lois' voice crackled into the bedroom. "Will all the houseguests please report to the living room." Letting out a sigh of relief, Lex started for the door, nearly bumping into Clark. With a mumbled apology and a hopefully surreptitious adjustment to his crotch, Lex made his way to the living room.

 

Several apple-red couches curved into a half-moon in the living room. Lex took a seat between Clark and the blonde girl who'd entered with him. Brief introductions were exchanged; the blonde girl was Chloe, and the redhead was Rachel. Rachel had somehow managed to get onto the show with her son, Lucas, who appeared to be about Lex's age. Lucas was almost as tall as Lex, but leaner, with dirty blonde hair and prominent eyebrows. There was something familiar about his lips, too, but Lex couldn't place it.

 

Lucas sat between a woman Rachel's age and a young man with straw-blonde hair. The woman's name was Nell and she was from Smallville, which Lex recognized as the town Clark was from. The young man sitting beside Lucas was also from Smallville; he was a football player named Whitney.

 

The last houseguest sat perched on the edge of the couch, a girl with long, dark hair and wide eyes. She didn't speak, but Lex gleaned from the other houseguests' conversations that her name was Tina. No one knew where she came from.

 

"Now, houseguests," Lois interrupted, and the living room was suddenly silent, "I told you to expect the unexpected. You've heard the expression, the X factor. Well, you're about to find out what that means." Glances were exchanged, bodies shifted, and Lex tried not to let his hand linger when it accidentally brushed against Clark's thigh. "Five more people will be joining you in the house, but there's a catch: each of them is one of your exes."

 

Oh God, Lex thought, please let it not be Victoria. He stared at the front door with the rest of the houseguests, waiting for fate to deal him a fatal blow.

 

He heard Clark gasp first. The first ex to enter the room was another brunette who looked a lot like Tina, but she was smiling brightly and her eyes settled immediately on Clark. Lex shouldn't have been jealous. He'd just met this kid.

 

"Lana!" Clark sounded shocked and afraid, and Lex didn't blame him. This exotic beauty looked like the kind of girl who would steal your heart one night and eat it for breakfast the next morning.

 

Lex recognized the next person who entered, but not because it was his ex.

 

No, the ex entering the room was not Lex's ex. It was his father.

 

"Son!" The hearty chuckle chilled Lex to the bone before he could wonder who Lionel's ex was. Surely this had to be some cruel joke. He couldn't be forced to live in the same house with his father for three months. He would go mad. Insane. Homicidal. "Ah, my dearest Rachel." Lex watched his father take Rachel's hand and press it to his lips, then leaped when he felt a hand on his face. He whirled around and saw that the hand was connected to Clark.

 

"Sorry," Clark murmured, taking his hand away. "Your chin was kind of on the floor." Lex attempted to reply, but electricity was buzzing through his body. He wanted Clark to touch him again.

 

"Lex, darling!" Scratch that. He wanted Clark to save him from this inevitable hell by whatever means he could manage. Lex swallowed, and turned to face his ex.

 

"Helen," he said weakly. Helen's lips spread into a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around him, leaning close to murmur in his ear.

 

"You better not screw this up for me, Lex. I'm going to win the million dollars and if you try to get in my way, you better pray our paths never meet again."

 

Lex didn't tell her that he'd already prayed that. Many, many times. His own personal Hell had just come true.

 

Two more exes entered; a young black man (token, Lex thought), and an older, tired-looking man. The blonde girl, Chloe, bounced over to the black kid, hugging him excitedly and yelling, "Pete! I never thought I'd see you again!" At the same moment, Lex heard a loud thump, and turned.

 

Clark had fainted.

 

"Clark? Are you okay?" The final ex seemed unaffected by Clark's unconsciousness; instead, he approached Nell slowly, looking like he might turn and run away any moment.

 

"Nell. It's always great to see you," he said after a few mutterings about his wife. Clark stirred under Lex's hands, and looked up into eyes.

 

"What happened? Are you okay?" Lex was appalled to realize that his voice was shaking. Helen knelt next to Clark on the floor, her doctor's instincts apparently replacing her evil tendencies following Clark's faint. Clark looked over at the other ex, and Lex reminded himself that Clark's ex had already joined them.

 

"It's..." Clark took a deep breath, staring at the man. "It's my dad."

 

As much as Lex wanted to feel sorry for Clark, his mind was suddenly focused on conspiracy theories. How was it that both his and Clark's fathers were here? Before he could come up with a suitable answer, Lois' voice invaded the living room. "Will the exes please put their belongings in the rooms with their exes."

 

Clark sent Lex a desperate look that clearly said, We have to sleep with our exes? Lex felt his own eyes widen at the thought of sleeping with Helen, or the wolf in sheep's clothing that Clark's ex appeared to be, and grabbed Clark's arm as the decision hit him. He lowered his voice so that no one could overhear. "Sleep with me."


	2. Chapter 2  Day Two

  
Author's notes: Helen could fake sincerity if she had to.  


* * *

"Seven o'clock A.M., houseguests. Please wake up for breakfast."

 

Helen noticed that Lana didn't even stir at the announcement. She sat up in the bed, looking across the room at the bed Lex was so generously sharing with Clark. At some point during the night, Clark had changed position and was now spooning behind Lex. At first Helen was amused, then remembered Lana saying that Clark was a cuddler and always did that while he slept, regardless of whether or not they'd had sex.

 

Interesting.

 

Possible blackmail material.

 

Helen smiled to herself as she walked to the bathroom to get dressed.

 

-

 

Helen paused by the bedroom door on her way to the kitchen. She heard Clark's voice first, hushed, apologetic.

 

"I just do that sometimes, I guess. I don't even realize I'm doing it. Sorry."

 

"Clark. You don't have to keep apologizing. I have to admit I was surprised, but it's not anything to worry about. Tonight I'll just sleep on the couch in the living room." There was a moment of silence, then a gentle chuckle. "Clark. I'm joking. Go back to sleep."

 

A pause. "No, I think I'll get up. I'm up anyway, I may as well stay up." Helen wondered if Clark was aware of the innuendo in his words, and if so, just how hard he was blushing. That was another thing Lana had told her about Clark. Helen could definitely use that to her advantage.

 

She arrived in the kitchen, surprised to see one of her fellow houseguests already in there. She recognized him as one of the other exes, a farmer from Smallville named Jonathan. If Helen remembered correctly, Jonathan was Clark's father.

 

She pondered telling Jonathan what was going on in the bedroom, just to see his reaction; however, deciding that ace was better left up her sleeve for the moment, Helen didn't mention Clark.

 

"Good morning, Jonathan. How long have you been up?"

 

Jonathan smiled familiarly as he removed the pot from the coffee maker. "A few hours. I'm used to getting up at four thirty to work on the farm, so this is a piece of cake. How do you take your coffee?"

 

"Black, please." If what Helen had overheard was true, Jonathan was a friendly man who could have a bit of a temper when it came to anyone who tried to hurt his son or his wife. And, unlike certain other people in this house, Jonathan was known for his steadfast loyalty to his wife. Helen knew the way to gain Jonathan's trust wasn't by flirting with him, as she had with Lionel; no, she needed to ply Jonathan with kindness and apparent honesty.

 

Helen could fake sincerity if she had to.

 

She reached out for the coffee mug Jonathan offered her, not bothering to see who was there when Jonathan lifted his gaze to the kitchen entrance. "You certainly slept in this morning."

 

"Dad, I'm in college now. I don't have to get up at four to feed the cows any more." An attempt at humor laced Clark's voice, and Jonathan sat across from Helen, watching his son go to the counter.

 

"Since when do you drink coffee?"

 

Helen didn't have to look to know Clark was rolling his eyes. "I've always drunk coffee." Helen doubted that was true, but it probably seemed that way to Clark.

 

A few minutes later, Lionel joined them at the breakfast table. Clark, who didn't know Lionel or anything about him, waved cheerfully, while Jonathan refused to even acknowledge Lionel's presence.

 

Helen smiled at Lionel when Clark and Jonathan weren't looking, and Lionel returned the gesture with a slight nod. She was glad he understood the importance for secrecy in this game. Helen was determined to create secret alliances with everyone in this house. Except for Lex. While multiple alliances would assure that at least one person would be true to her, Helen knew Lex would betray her in this game, regardless. There was no point to even pretending to trust him, or that he could trust her. They knew each other too well.

 

"Seven thirty, houseguests. Please wake up."

 

Nell shuffled in after the second wakeup call, surprisingly stereotypical slippers on her feet and a long red robe over her shoulders. She started toward Jonathan, like a habit, then steered off toward the counter.

 

"Here, let me get that for you." Helen led Nell to a chair next to Jonathan, pretending it was mere coincidence as she moved to the counter for the coffee pot. Anticipating Rachel's inevitable arrival, Helen took the coffee and several mugs to the table, looking up with a smile when Rachel walked into the kitchen. Muttered greetings were exchanged among the adults and Clark as Helen returned to the table with two steaming cups of coffee.

 

"Don't you want any, Helen?"

 

"Oh! Thank you, Lionel." Jonathan watched suspiciously as Lionel poured a cup for Helen, who was unable to suppress the smirk that twitched onto her lips. She changed it into a friendly smile and turned it on the rest of the table.

 

"Eight o'clock A.M., houseguests. Please wake up."

 

The wakeup announcements continued on every half hour until all thirteen houseguests were seated around the kitchen table. Helen offered to do the dishes, and just as she was finishing, she glanced over to the living room and noticed that there was something new on the television monitor in the middle of the wall.

 

Hungry? Better get your strength up.

 

The houseguests gradually crowded around the screen, trying to figure out what it meant. Helen listened to the various casual conversations being carried on in the background, noting that Tina said nearly nothing, just watched as Lana flirted with Clark. Clark politely reciprocated, but not too enthusiastically, and Lex observed with his own amused look. Lucas, Whitney, and Pete chatted animatedly with Chloe, adding the occasional shoulder-punch to the chatter.

 

Jonathan wandered outside, and Nell and Rachel soon followed. Helen watched their contemplative looks and discussion with great interest, finally moving to the window to see what they were looking at. A long corded rope lay across the yard and the three houseguests wandered around it, probably trying to decide its purpose. At one point, Jonathan raised his arms and moved them back in a tugging motion. Nell nodded, but Rachel had wandered over to the small inground pool. Helen felt her lips curl into a grin.

 

People could drown in pools.

 

"Houseguests, please sit on the living room sofa." The houseguests congregated on the couch, looking up at Lois on the usually blank monitor. "As you noticed, there was an announcement on the monitor this morning. I hope you enjoyed your breakfast, because for half of you, it will be your last full meal for the rest of the week." Confused mutterings broke out, most noticeably from Clark and Lucas, who seemed to have eaten as much as the rest of the house put together over the past twenty-four hours. "This afternoon we're going to have a competition. You will be divided into two teams, but because there is an odd number, one of you will have to sit it out."

 

"What's the challenge?"

 

"I'm glad you asked, Lucas. Big Brother is going to provide you with bathing suits. This afternoon, you're going to split up into two groups, one on each end of the rope you see laying out there. However, when the challenge takes place, it will be on a raised platform, with a valley full of Jell-O in the middle."

 

"We're playing tug of war?"

 

"Right again, Lucas. But perhaps you wouldn't interrupt-"

 

"Sorry. Go ahead," Lucas said with a charming smile. Helen raised an eyebrow.

 

"Now, the winning team will have plenty of food for the rest of the week. However, the losing team, besides being covered in Jell-O, will only be allowed to eat peanut butter and jelly for the rest of the week."

 

"What?" Clark had a panicked look on his face. He'd obviously never had to miss a meal.

 

"You'll be allowed to put the PB & J on bread, and eat any condiments. But meats, vegetables, and dairy products can only be eaten by the winning team."

 

The room filled with stunned silence as Helen refrained from rolling her eyes. This was obviously an exercise in intimidation. Helen knew she could live through anything - a week of peanut butter and jelly was nothing.

 

"So, which one of you would like to volunteer to be excluded? And remember, if no one volunteers, I'll have to pick one of you."

 

"I'll exclude myself from the competition." Of course. Lionel was too good to get dragged through Jello.

 

"There is one condition, Lionel. You'll have to eat PB & J like the losing team."

 

Lionel hid any reaction he may have had behind a stoic expression. "That's perfectly acceptable, Lois. I still choose to exclude myself."

 

"Very well," Lois accepted with a nod. "I'll see you all in the courtyard at four o'clock. Feel free to eat as much as you want... while you still can." A wink, and Lois' image disappeared.

 

The houseguests sat tensely on the couch, each of them, Helen was sure, determined not to be the first to panic.

 

Helen laughed to herself when Clark and Lucas leapt from the couch and bolted into the kitchen simultaneously.


End file.
